NEW YORK, N.Y. – A key accuser in the New York City rape trial of Harvey Weinstein is due back on the stand Tuesday for a third day of testimony.
She broke down in tears Monday, halting an exhaustive cross-examination that focused on the nature of her relationship with the once-powerful movie mogul.
The woman began sobbing uncontrollably when she read a line in a note that she had written to her former boyfriend that described her relationship with Weinstein. The line revealed she had been sexually abused long before she met Weinstein when she was 27, The New York Times reports.
The woman took a short break and returned to the witness stand, but still could not compose herself, so the judge adjourned the trial for the day.
Monday’s shortened court session could lengthen the trial, which was expected to be fast paced. Other witness testimonies will likely be pushed to later in the week.
The woman is expected to be on the stand much of the day Tuesday as Weinstein's lawyers continue a painstaking review of emails and other evidence they say paint the 34-year-old as a manipulative liar who gritted her way through sexual encounters with Weinstein because she enjoyed the perks of knowing him.
The woman has accused Weinstein of trapping her in a New York hotel room in 2013 and ordering her to undress as he loomed over her and then raped her. Eight months later, she says he raped her again at a Beverly Hills hotel. She said Weinstein attacked her after she told him she was dating an actor.
